Easy drinkin’ brown-bodied fleshy-headed Belgian strong ale lacks advertised anise-coriander seasoning. Instead, heady burgundy-bourbon warmth permeates brown-sugared spiced chocolate drift and awakened prune-raisin-beet sift. Sharply carbolic floral hops tamed by mineral watered smoothing.

An ‘aggressive beer’ indeed. Sticky molasses malts preside over up-front floral hop insistence, earthy grain thrust, and juicy tangerine stint for surefire opening salvo to brilliant rosy amber ale. Bittersweet dark chocolate overtones fade in and out, providing wonderful conduit ambushing lingering medicinal quilt. Fully formed red fruited finish shows off sundry character – each ingredient complementing the next with curious precision. For an added treat, 22-ounce bottles’ hilarious label brags about being ‘an honest microbrewery’ while deriding major corporate sludge. On tap, highly-hopped alcohol-laden malts convey full spectrum of pear-apricot-apple-cherry sweetness.

Agile moderate-bodied ‘Special London Ale’ with chameleon-like characteristics. Initial burgundy flow, roasted barley punctuation, and malt creaminess give way to black cherry fruitiness. Then, sweet yeast finish kicks in, underscored by bitter-hopped caramel nuttiness perfect for after dinner splurge.

Ambitious white-foamed pale-toned double-fermented dessert fodder. Lively champagne effervescence, ample cider tartness, tingly cherry mint julep motif, acetous fruity wine graze, clove-hopped spicing and floral dusting integrated perfectly. Concentrated yeast immediacy adds spunk to turbidly dry quince finish. Mellow crystal malting lightens the mood.

Dry prune-hued 8% alcohol ‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’ opens with cork-y plum-prune thicket. Smooth aging allows alcohol to dissolve nicely into sweet Cordial warmth as honeyed yeast sediment subsides. Carbonation flattens a tad, but dusty allspice-nutmeg seasoning integrates holiday splendor with moist basement dankness and expressive grape tannin tenure.

At 7.5% alcohol range, this fine spiced-up raisin-kissed barleywine-styled elixir serenades syrupy Scotch malt sweetness with buttery port nuances to sticky medicinal finish.

Brewed since 1654, this full-bodied strong ale has a certain grain-malt thickness, honey nut lucidity, and complacent chocolate quip. Spicy hops preserve hearty caramel-cocoa finish, remaining uncommonly consistent from head to body.

Over-inflated connoisseur’s version of award-winning Sawtooth Ale, ‘designed to befuddle silly generalizations about life’ lacks depth. Rich bronze-bodied strong ale counters sweet brown chocolate, butterscotch, and toffee parch with piney hop bittering as well as hastened walnut-hazelnut-chestnut waver. But toasted almond reticence casts astringent shadow.

Boozy chestnut ruby-hued barleywine richer and creamier than less spruce-hopped Arrogant Bastard. Thick yeast sinew, chewy butterscotch goo, and caramel-chocolate malts encounter ripe raisin-plum-date splurge informing strong rum-brandy-port finish. Fresh-squeezed orange, grapefruit rind, dried cherry, and bruised banana compensate roasted walnut, sticky pine tar, and earthy wood tones. In recess, vanilla wafer illusion emerges atop vinous green grape-apple esters. Phenomenally complex.

Expansive carbonation overwhelms orange peel dissipation and buttery creaminess of unobtrusive amber-hazed 8.5% alcohol libation. Closer to elegant white ale than ditzy blonde ale due to floral citric nature, tannic grape tartness, and dark spiced tingle, but soapy carbolic fizz cheapens expectations.

Magnificently bold Belgian-styled ruby red ale offers syrupy molasses-butterscotch sweetness to honeyed brandy-rum warmth, completely overriding initial vinous oak-aged cherry waft. Poised orange-bruised cherry puree mellifluence and subordinate fig-date souring infiltrate capacious sugared malt incursion of brain-twisting barleywine-finishing 14.9% alcohol knockout.

Caramel-hued frothy-headed chocolate-scented vintage ale (microbrew # 82,378 out of 85,000 made) places aggressive grain bitterness above dark mocha malt sweetness and fig-date wisp, creating silken alcohol-strengthened barleywine illusion. But soft watery finish depletes long-lasting syrupy thickness, precluding further distinction.